The Cousin from Boston
by california07
Summary: Jake Cohen is the elusive cousin from Boston who has not seen his Californian relatives for years. As the two family's lives start to intertwine, how will this new dyanamic affect the lives of its members?
1. The beginning of a new beginning

**The Cousin from Boston**

**_Berkeley, CA_**

It was Chrismukkah 2009 and Cohen household was beginning to get in the mood for the holiday season. Kirsten and Sandy always looked forward to this time of year as it was one of the few times when the entire family could be together. Kirsten, Sandy, Ryan and Sophie were already at the house finishing up the decorations, with Sophie adding her special touch by placing the star on top of the tree. Sandy entered the living room to find Kirsten and Ryan on the couch.

'Well I'm glad to see we have a strong work ethic in this house' said Sandy with a laugh. Kirsten turned around and lazily smiled at her husband.

'Oh honey I'm sure you have everything under control. Ryan and I are just enjoying a little holiday television.' She said.

'Oh really? What's on?' asked Sandy as he sat in between his wife and son. Ryan yawned.

'It's A Wonderful Life' said Ryan.

'Ah a Christmas classic' smiled Sandy. 'Hey what time is it?' Kirsten looked at her watch.

'Err almost three. Seth and Summer's plane will be landing soon. You should get going sweetie.' She said motioning to Sandy.

'Me? Oh I get it, I do all the work around here.' Said Sandy. At this point Sophie came running into the room.

'Mommy!' she squealed pointing at her nose which was bleeding. Kirsten went over to Sophie to have a look at her nose.

'Oh sweetie, calm down it's alright, what happened?' asked Kirsten.

'I bump it' said Sophie with tears in her eyes. Kirsten stroked her daughter's hair.

'Aww ok then lets go get you cleaned up in the bathroom. Keep your head down.' she said and she began to lead Sophie away. 'Ryan would you finish setting the table?'

'Yeah no problem, and hey Sophie!' he called to his sister. She turned and looked at him. 'What does Seth say to remember you are when you get hurt?' he asked. Sophie smiled.

'A supppper-eero!' she shouted while punching her small arm in the air in a Superman-type pose. Ryan laughed.

'That's right and that means you have to be big girl for your mom ok? He said. Sophie nodded and laughed in agreement and walked off with Kirsten.

Sandy watched all this with great pride. Ryan had really truly become a part of the Cohen family. Last year he made the final step by completing the adult adoption papers and changing his surname to Atwood-Cohen. It was one of the happiest moments of his life and he could barely believe that things would turn out this way 7 years ago when he first met Ryan. He still referred to Kirsten and him by their first names but maybe 'mom' and 'dad' had some bad memories attached that Ryan didn't want to bring to his new family. This look of pride must have shown on his face because Ryan began looking strangely at Sandy.

'What are you thinking?' he asked with a puzzled look. Sandy smiled.

'Just thinking about how great you are with Soph.' he smiled. Ryan looked a little embarrassed.

'Yeah well you know she's a great sister.' He said rubbing his neck in a bashful way. Sandy laughed and put his arm round Ryan.

'She sure is and now I have to go pick up your other sibling. See you later kid.' He said and he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

Ryan took a moment to look around the living room. He felt a bit stupid, he had spent countless days and nights here, but the house still had an effect on him. It still gave him a feeling of safety and warmth in the same way the Newport house used to. It was a feeling he would never get tired of… the feeling of home. He was shaken from his daydream by the phone ringing. He picked it up.

'Hello' he said. A strange sounding voice responded.

'Hello is this Ryan Cohen?' it asked.

'Yeah, who's this?' he asked puzzled. The voice laughed and in its normal sound he recognised it instantly.

'It's me man' said Seth. 'I just like saying Ryan Cohen. It gives me a warm feeling bro, just like Chrismukkah.' There was a pause and Ryan knew Seth was dreaming of Chrismukkah. He shook his head and laughed.

'It's _Atwood_-Cohen Seth and you really need to work on stealth voice. It's a little psycho killer stalkery sounding. Where are you anyway?' he asked.

'Just got off the plan-..' he was interrupted by Summer in the background.

'_Who's that?' _he heard her say.

'_It's Ryan Summer' _replied Seth.

'_Ooo can I talk to him?'_ said Summer excitedly. There was some rustling and bashing with the phone on the other end. Ryan sighed.

'_No Summer…I'm talking…Get off… Down girl!' _he heard Seth shout. He then heard a thump and a loud_ 'Ow!'_ from Seth.

'_Ass!'_ shouted Summer and then, '_Hi Ryan!' _Ryan laughed.

'Tell her I say hi Seth.' He said.

'Will do bro, now I gotta go she's snooping around the duty free.' He said.

'Ok see you soon man' said Ryan and he hung up. He smiled and walked over the table to finish setting it.

**_Boston, MA_**

Meanwhile on the other side of the country in Boston, MA, Daniel Cohen walked into his living room to find his son and wife sitting waiting for him with suitcases all around them. He smiled.

'Ok guys are you ready to go?' he asked. The boy looked up and gave a wide smile.

'Yeah! It's gonna be weird seeing Uncle Sandy again. It's been a while.' He said. His mom nodded.

'You're right it has, but this Christmas is going to be great. Sandy and Kirsten have a lovely family, and I'm told Seth is looking forward to seeing you again.' She said. The boy smiled again, then a strange moment of sadness and realisation came over him.

'I forgot something in my room. You guys go get ready in the car I'll be out in a second.' He said and hurried off. His mom got up and walked over to Daniel. She sighed and sagged into her husband's embrace.

'We need this Daniel… Jake needs it more than anyone. After the year he's had…' she trailed off. Daniel nodded, tightening his embrace, holding her closer.

'I know Elle, he's gonna be fine, our son's a survivor.' He said. Elle looked at her husband.

'I just feel like I can't understand what he feels when he thinks about it. It breaks my heart that I can't help my own son with his pain.' She said with a sigh.

Meanwhile, in his room, Jake walked over to his bedside table and picked up a photoframe. He stared at the photo and instant sadness washed over him. He took a deep breath, wiped a rogue tear away from his face and placed the picture into his backpack. He turned and walked out of his room to his waiting parents.

* * *

**Hey everyone, this is my pilot story so I hope you enjoy it!! Reviews will be much appreciated!**


	2. Again?

Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Ryan, Sophie and Summer were all sat round the dinner table celebrating the beginning of the holiday season.

'So Summer, what's your dad doing for Christmas?' asked Ryan.

'Oh he's gone to Aspen with the stepmons-.. I mean Gloria. They asked if I wanted to come as well, but you know me and snow don't go well together.' She replied. Sandy smiled.

'Well it's a pleasure to have you here with us.' He said. Seth suddenly had a moment of realisation and asked.

'I can't believe Jake is coming for Chrimukkah. He, Uncle Dan and Aunt Elle haven't been here since when?... 97? 98?' he said curiously. Sandy nodded.

'Hey I was as surprised as you were when Dan called me and asked if they could spend the holidays with us, but the more the merrier I say. It'll be just like old times' he said.

'Yeah except we have two new family members now' said Kirsten looking at Ryan.

Ryan had been a little nervous about meeting Sandy's brother and his family ever since he had mentioned they were coming for Chrismukkah. Ryan had never really thought about other parts of this family that he was now a full member. He'd never really had an extended family back in Chino, he saw the occasional uncle or cousin every now and again, but to be honest he thought even their own relatives wanted to stay away from the drunken violence that was the Atwood household. And now here he was about to meet his uncle, aunt and cousin for the first time, he couldn't help but feel anxious about the whole thing.

'So what are they like?' he asked. Kirsten must have spotted the slight anxiety in his eyes because she smiled and said.

'Nothing like the Nana, so don't worry.' Ryan laughed off the comment but in all the honesty the thought had crossed his mind. Seth spoke up.

'You'll get on well with Jake Ryan.' He said. 'Before you came to Newport, I couldn't wait for the holidays so that I could spend some time with someone who wasn't a water-polo playing jock. He's into comic books and listens to decent music… well at least he _used_ to. I haven't spoken to him in a while.'

'Why'd you guy's lose touch?' asked Ryan.

'Well I still get the occasional email from him, but one year they just stopped coming over.' Replied Seth. 'Why was that dad?' Sandy shrugged.

'Dan got a new job and worked a lot more over the holidays.' He said. 'I'm not sure what the whole story was.' He paused. 'Still I just think it's strange he phoned out of the blue and asked to come.'

'Well whatever the reason, they're coming and it's gonna be _awesome_' exclaimed Seth.

I was going to be awesome, thought Seth, his favourite cousin was coming back after almost a 10 year absence. But he too, was also nervous. He hoped that Jake hadn't changed too much over the years. What was he going to say to him? He also noticed Ryan had been a little quiet around the topic of them arriving. Was he nervous too? Summer who had been keeping quiet throughout this family conversation asked.

'Well if this Jake is anything like Cohen here, then we're gonna have one hell of a Christmas.' Everyone laughed except Seth who scowled. 'So when do they arrive?'

'Tomorrow morning. I'm picking them up at 8am' sighed Sandy. 'Seems all I ever do is go back and forth from that airport.' Seth smiled.

'Taxi service, maybe there's a new career in that for you dad' he said.

'Oh yeah? Well next time you're walking' replied Sandy.

The conversation moved on to college life and how everyone was doing there. And eventually all Ryan's nervousness was forgotten.

_**30000 feet, somewhere over the US.**_

Jake was nervous. He didn't think he would be, but he was. He had kept in touch with Seth a lot when they were younger, but as he grew up the emails shrank in size and number. He wondered how everyone had changed. Whether Seth would still be the same. He scowled and thought. _Of course he won't, we're 21! I haven't seen him since I was 12._ He was also anxious about meeting his newest cousins, Ryan and Sophie. He hadn't heard too much about them, but his dad assured them that everything would be fine. He sighed and turned up the volume on his Ipod. He hated flying, the seats were so cramped and Jake being over 6 foot tall was always uncomfortable. The movies were no better either. Princess Diary 2 was playing. Jake rolled his eyes and stared out the window at the clouds. And he knew it was a mistake because he started thinking about _her._

Elle looked across the aisle at her son who was starting transfixed by something outside the window. He had been doing that a lot recently, just staring at nothing. She could only imagine the thoughts racing in his mind, replaying over and over again. And she couldn't do a thing, nothing she said or did had helped. She couldn't look at him any longer, she turned and tried to focus on the movie that was showing. _Why can't they show decent movies and these flights she thought. No wonder Dan and Jake hate flying. _She turned to look at her husband who was fidgeting and complaining about the person in front of him who had put his seat back. She couldn't help but give a small smile and snuggled into him and began to settle down. _This holiday has to help… otherwise I don't know what will._

Jake cringed as another memory flashed through his head. Suddenly he was startled from his trance by an announcement by one of the cabin crew.

'_Is there a doctor aboard this plane?' _the woman said._ 'Would any medically trained persons please step forward.' _Jake looked around to see if anyone stood up. Noone did. Elle leaned over to her son.

'Jake… I think you should offer to help' she said cautiously. Fear flashed through Jake accompanied by the image of _her._ He calmed himself and said.

'No mom, I'm only a first year medical student. They want an actual doctor.' He whispered. 'It's probably someone having a panic attack or something'

'Jake there's noone else standing up yo-..' she started but was harshly cut off by her son.

'Mom NO!' he said a little more loudly than he had intended.

The announcement came over again.

'_There is an emergency in first class. Any medical personnel please come forward.'_ Jake felt fear in every part of his body. _This can't be happening. It's too soon. _Then something in the back of his mind told him: _you have to Jake._ He stood up. A female stewardess walked over to him. He whispered in her ear.

'I'm a medical student, I don't know how much I could help.' the stewardesses eyes went wide, she grabbed his wrist.

'Come with me now!'

The stewardess half led, half dragged Jake up the plane and through the parting curtain into first class. A man was lying on the floor, shaking, grabbing his chest and he had vomited. Many people were crowded round him. Jake knew exactly what was going on as soon as he saw him. He was having a heart attack. One of the stewards was about to attempt CPR. Jake shouted: 'STOP!' Suddenly all the fear drained out of him he forgot about past events.

'That won't help him' he said. 'Where's your portable defibrillator?' One of the stewardesses hurried off and returned moments later with a yellow box.

'He-here' she said shaking. Jake grabbed it and unpacked the equipment. He placed the two pads on the man's chest and waited as the machine calculated his heart rhythm. The screen flashed _VF_ and began charging. It gave a shock to the man. Jake looked at the defibrillator, _VF _it flashed again, Jake scowled. The machine began charging again. One woman began crying hysterically. He assumed it was the man's wife. As a steward moved her away from the scene the machine delivered another shock. The machine again displayed _VF_. 'Come On!' shouted Jake as the machine charged yet again. The shock delivered and Jake waited… and waited…_ Sinus_ appeared on the screen. He sighed with relief and slouched back.

'Is he alright?' asked a steward. Jake shook his head.

'No, he's had a heart attack. Make sure there is an ambulance waiting for us when we land.' He replied, emotionally drained. 'How long is that?'

'About 15 minutes' said the steward. Jake nodded.

'He'll probably make it.' He groaned and stood up. 'Make him comfortable and have someone with him at all times until we land.' The steward looked at him speechless. Jake turned to his mom standing with the man's wife. The woman stepped forward.

'Th-thank you' she said. Jake said nothing, showed no expression because behind this old woman he saw _her_ as real as day standing there smiling.

'Amy' he whispered.

Elle stepped forward and embraced her son as tightly as she could and Jake's vision vanished.

'You did it sweetie, you saved him' she exclaimed. Jake still said nothing. 'Don't you see honey, it wasn't your fault, you couldn't save her… Amy-..' she continued but was again cut off.

'Mom… I need to use the bathroom' he said quietly with no emotion. Jake walked past his mother and calmly went into the toilet and locked the door. He looked into the mirror and broke down in tears where no-one could hear.

* * *

**Ok I'm a medical student myself and this is my worse fear. That I'll be on a plane and someone will need a doctor. I've kind of dramatised this a little bit, because in truth the cabin crew would have probably been able to use the defibrillator. But hey it's the OC so what's a little bit of inaccurate drama:P Also I've yet to see what exactly happens when someone is shocked with a defib, but I've heard the older students talking about it. So this is probably accurate. I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter. How much of Jake's past I should reveal. Anyway I hope I haven't overdone it too early. Enjoy and review please!**


	3. A reluctant hero

'Well well well if it isn't the hero of the hour!' exclaimed Sandy as he walked towards his brother and his family.

Daniel had phoned ahead to Sandy to let him know what had happened on the plane and tell him they might be late getting off. Jake looked at his uncle and smiled. He looked just as he remembered him. His hair was a little longer and… wow those eyebrows were a little out of control, but he still had the same smile that could make even the direst of situations seem ok. Jake hadn't spoken much about what had happened on the plane to his parents and they had chosen to avoid asking any questions. When they landed the man who had suffered the heart attack was taken to the hospital and Jake gave the man's wife his cell phone number to let him know how he was doing. To be honest Jake just wanted to forget about the whole thing and concentrate on getting to know his family again. But he knew the others wouldn't let that happen, and he still couldn't shake Amy's smiling face from his mind. Sandy gave Daniel a hug, then Elle and then turned to face Jake.

'Jake, it's good to see you again.' Said Sandy with a huge smile as he hugged Jake. Jake beamed.

'It's great to see you to Sandy.' He said.

'You have to tell me all about this amazing open heart surgery you performed.' Joked Sandy. Jake laughed.

'I hardly did anything, but we can talk about it in the car. I can't wait to see the new house.' He said.

'You know you've been there before Jake.' Said Elle. 'Once, when you and Seth were only 2. It was just before you guys moved to Newport wasn't it Sandy?'

'Yeah it was. Wow the trips down memory lane have already begun.' Laughed Sandy. 'Now let's get going.' Jake smiled.

'By the way, is it true Kirsten can cook now?'

……………………………

'Mommy I can't see!' said Sophie while giggling. Kirsten laughed as she struggled to pull a sweater down over Sophie's head.

'Oh no Sophie, where are you?' she said. Sophie laughed.

'Mommy you can see me, I can't see you.'

'Oh you're right' Kirsten eventually got the sweater on and she smiled at her daughter. 'You look so pretty Sophie. Now are you ready to meet your uncle and aunt?' Sophie nodded. 'Alright head downstairs sweetie and find Seth and Ryan. I have to finish getting ready.' Sophie laughed and ran from the room, down the stairs and straight into Seth's arms who scooped her up and swung her round.

'Sophie! You never told me you had a new super power.' Said Seth in a mock shocked voice. 'You can fly?!'

'Eth!!' screamed Sophie as she flew around and around, laughing. 'Put me –own!' Seth obliged and Sophie stood swaying on the spot as Ryan entered the room.

'Seth what have you been doing to our poor little sister?' he asked.

'No it's cool Ryan, Sophie was just showing me she can fly.' Said Seth. Ryan smiled.

'You can fly Sophie?' he asked. Sophie who was still looking very dizzy laughed and shook her head.

'Well I think you need to show me this time' said Ryan as he moved in. Sophie started to run away but Ryan caught her and scooped her up just like Seth.

'Ayan nooooo!' squealed Sophie as, once again she was spun around. Summer the came downstairs and laughed at the scene. Seth ran over to her and kissed her.

'Hey' he said.

'Hey, Cohen.' Said Summer. 'Shouldn't your cousin be here by now?'

'My dad called, something happened on the plane that got them delayed.' Seth said. Ryan who had now stopped spinning Sophie, walked over to them.

'Did he say what it was?' he asked.

'Nope, guess we'll find out soon enough.' Replied Seth. Sophie ran over to them and began jumping up and down and pointing outside to the garden. All three of them laughed.

'Ok Sophie we're coming' said Seth. As they headed out the back door, the front door opened and in walked Sandy followed by Daniel, Elle and Jake.

'We're here!' called Sandy as he entered. There was some shuffling and then Kirsten shouted down from upstairs.

'I'll be right down guys' she called. Sandy led the group into the house. Jake looked around. It was a great house, no doubt about it. It had a certain warmth to it that their apartment in Boston didn't. He looked over to the side of the hall where a variety of family portraits were set up. There was one with Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and two others who he didn't recognise who were obviously Ryan and Sophie. Seth looked different than when they last saw each other. And not just the obvious physically older appearance, he looked happy. All the times Jake had been with Seth, he always spoke of how much he hated Newport and how he wished he could go back East with Jake. Where was Seth anyway?

Kirsten came down the stairs and approached them standing in the entranceway. She immediately recognised Daniel and Elle who hadn't changed dramatically over the past 10 years, but when she saw Jake she couldn't believe how different he was. She smiled as she remembered the times back in Newport when Jake and Seth would play in the pool, it was when Seth was at his happiest as a child. Then she realised if Ryan had never come into their lives, Seth's life would have turned out a lot worse. As the adults chattered away, mostly about Jake's daring rescue of the man on the plane, Jake began to feel more and more awkward standing there. Kirsten noticed this.

'The guys are out in the garden.' She said. 'They can't wait to see you.' Jake nodded and began to make his way through the house to the door leading to the garden. As he got closer he could hear a girl laughing and screaming and voices shouting. He took a deep breath and stepped outside.

…………………………

'How is he holding up?' asked Kirsten. Sandy had told her about Jake and Amy a couple of weeks ago. It was heartbreaking to hear. Elle sighed.

'It comes and goes. There's good days and bad days. That incident on the plane did more damage than good I think.' Kirsten gave her a sympathetic smile.

'Maybe some time away is just what he needs.' She said.

'I think so.' Said Elle. 'There's definitely been more good days since he found out we were coming here.'

'You know who might be able to help him? Said Kirsten.

'Who?' asked Elle, puzzled. Kirsten glanced over at their family portrait and thought back to 3 years ago when that smile on Ryan's face wasn't there and she thought her family was tumbling down around her.

'Ryan.'

* * *

**Sorry for the lack of drama in this chapter, but I promise from here out there's some juicy stories coming up. Not just more info on Jake and Amy, but also Daniel has another reason for bringing his family all the way across the country. I cut this chapter short because I want to spend some time writing the meeting between Jake, Seth and Ryan. Because it's a vital part for the rest of the story. Anyway reviews and any advice on writing are appreciated. Enjoy.**


	4. First Meetings

**Hey. So it's been a long time since there's been an update, but I've been pretty busy. Expect more frequent updates from now on. Enjoy!**

* * *

The sun shone brightly in Jake's eyes as he stepped out onto the deck in the garden. He put his hand up to cover his face and squinted out ahead of him. And there they were. Jake took in the scene in front of him. There was Seth happily chasing Sophie around the garden with a large stuffed turtle while Ryan and a girl Jake thought he slightly recognised watched while doubled over with laughter. Jake couldn't help but feel a little jealous that he didn't have a family situation like this. He and Seth had always spoken about how they hated being only children and wanted to have other kids to talk to around the house. Seth had found exactly that. Jake smiled and started to walk towards the group who had yet to spot him. Sophie who had been running around screaming looked towards Jake, stopped running, pointed at him and said.

'Oo that?' Jake stopped and waited as one by one Seth, Ryan and the girl looked over towards the house. A huge smile immediately spread over Seth's face as he jogged over to Jake.

'Jake! Hey man how's it going?' said Seth excitedly as he took Jake in an embrace. Jake, slightly surprised by his cousin's enthusiasm, laughed and said.

'It's great to see you to Seth.'

'I can't believe you're here. It's been what? 9 years?' asked Seth.

'Yeah I know, too long.' Replied Jake. 'Are you gonna introduce me?' Seth smiled.

'Yeah definitely. Come on over.' He said as he led Jake across the garden. Ryan was the first one to step forward. He shook Jake's hand and smiled.

'Hey Jake, I'm Ryan.'

'Hey man nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you.' Ryan laughed.

'Well if all your information comes from Seth here then don't believe a word.' He said. Sophie stepped forward. She looked up at Jake who towered over her.

'Are oo da coosin? She said shyly while holding onto Ryan's leg. Jake smiled.

'Yup that's me. You must be Sophie, my name's Jake. Nice to meet you.' He said holding out his hand. Sophie stared at it cautiously before grabbing it and shaking it violently. Jake laughed and turned to face the girl. She was beautiful, thought Jake to himself. Who is she? He definitely recognised her from somewhere. She smiled and put out her hand.

'I'm Summer.' She said. Summer… that sounded familiar as well thought Jake. Wait it couldn't be? Could it?

'Summer Roberts?' he said, shocked. '_The_ Summer Roberts?' Summer looked confused.

'Wait… you know me?' she asked.

'Seth used to talk about you all the time when we were kids. Every time I came to Newport he spent 90 of the time talking about you.' Summer laughed and looked at Seth who was beginning to turn a deep shade of red. Jake continued. 'In fact we met once, at the bottom of the driveway, going to some girl's birthday party. I believe your words to me were 'Out my way dweeb.'' This time Seth laughed.

'Yeah that sounds like Summer.' He said. And received a punch from Summer in return.

'Shut up Cohen.' She said.

'So are you and Seth… together?' he asked.

'Yeah we are.' She said. Jake couldn't believe it. Seth had gotten the girl of his dreams.

'Ok, clearly a lot has happened in 9 years.' Said Jake laughing. 'You guys are gonna have to fill me in.'

For the next hour Seth, Ryan, Summer and Sophie told Jake all about life in Newport and at their colleges, while Jake listened intently. Ryan noticed how Jake tried to avoid speaking about anything too personal concerning his own life, but put it down to nerves of meeting a family he hadn't seen in almost 10 years. They talked about everything from how Ryan joined the family and how Seth had made Chrismukkah bigger than ever to what Jake had been up to back in Boston. Eventually Seth thought to bring up the subject that Jake had been trying to steer away from.

'So what happened on the plane?' he asked. Jake shrugged.

'Some guy had a heart attack and needed a shock to get his heart started again. It was no big deal' he said.

'No big deal?' exclaimed Ryan. 'Sounds like you saved the guy's life.'

'Nah, the defibrillator saved him, it's all automatic so I didn't really do much' said Jake.

'Hey man, you're a hero, you should be proud!' Laughed Seth. Jake gave a small smile before he was saved by Kirsten calling everyone in for dinner. As everyone got up to head into the house Ryan couldn't help but wonder what was up with Jake. He was a great guy, friendly, funny, wanted to know about his family, but Ryan knew there was something… he couldn't quite pin it down, but something was troubling Jake. Frowning to himself Ryan jogged over to catch up with Jake and Seth who was now babbling incessantly about the X-Men 4 movie which he thought was yet another let down, while Jake pointed out how it was a great improvement over X-Men 3. Ryan saw an opportunity to cause outrage and said casually that X-Men 3 was one of his favorite movies. Both Jake and Seth turned and stared at him with horrified looks before Ryan burst out laughing and heading inside, his thoughts of Jake's troubles forgotten.

……………………….

Dinner was served by Kirsten, with Daniel insisting on helping despite Kirsten's arguments that he was a guest in their house. Sandy was sitting at the head of the table, with Kirsten and Elle on either side of him. Sophie sat in between Kirsten and Daniel and was uncomfortably shifting in her seat. Ryan sat at the other end of the table, with Jake, Seth and Summer beside Elle on the other side. There was light chatter at the table before Jake spoke with a laugh.

'Aunt Kirsten, I don't wanna be rude but never in a million years did I think you would be able to cook a dinner as good as this.' Everyone laughed, while Kirsten nodded and smiled.

'Well I'll take that as a compliment Jake, thank you.' She said. 'So Jake, I hear you're going to be starting at Brown for medical school in January.' Summer looked up.

'Really? You didn't mention that?' she said.

'Well it's not confirmed yet, but Harvard isn't really working out for me, it was cool for my undergraduate degree but…' he paused. 'Not really for Medicine.' Said Jake.

'It's impressive that you finished your degree in half the time' said Sandy. 'Not many kids manage that.' Jake looked uncomfortable.

'So… what's your plans for Chrismukkah this year Seth?' he asked. This set Seth off on an excited run of his well thought out plan for this years celebrations, but Jake's avoidance of the subject hadn't gone unnoticed again by Ryan, who also noticed the glances between the Sandy, Kirsten, Daniel and Elle. After desert, Kirsten had a sudden realisation.

'Oh Jake, this house isn't quite as big as our house in Newport so we only have one guest room for your parents. You'll have to bunk in with Ryan, is that ok?' she said. Jake looked over to Ryan.

'It's fine with me, if it's alright with you Ryan? He said. Ryan nodded.

'No problem, come on I'll show you where it is.' Ryan said and they headed up the stairs.

……………………

'Hey thanks for this man. Sorry I'm invading your room.' Said Jake as he hung up a couple of shirts into Ryan's wardrobe. Ryan shook his head with a smile.

'No worries, I did manage to get the biggest room so there's plenty of space.' He said. Jake looked around Ryan's room. His wall had a couple of posters on it, one of which was a giant Lakers poster. Ryan caught him looking at it.

'You a basketball fan?' he said. Jake laughed.

'Huge, you?' he said. Ryan shrugged.

'I wasn't but my roommate in college is and he kinda got me into it.' He said. 'Let me guess, Celtics fan right?'

'Yeah kinda, but we're originally from New York, so I still root for the Knicks a little.' Ryan smiled, he was pleased he had managed to find common ground with Jake. They talked for a while about that year's play-offs before Ryan said he was going to the bathroom. When he left, Jake stood up and walked around the room a little until he came across a picture on Ryan's desk of Ryan and a girl. They were standing on the beach and it was obvious the two of them were in love. Jake smiled, Ryan hadn't mentioned a girlfriend.

_Looks like everyone has __their perfect someone, guess that's not what's meant for me._

'Her name's Marissa' said Ryan, who had re-entered the room without Jake noticing. Jake jumped and turned round.

'I'm sorry, I was just…' he tried to explain. Ryan smiled.

'It's cool.' He said. He walked over a took the picture from Jake and looked at it. The never faltering feelings flooded over him whenever he looked at this picture. He almost laughed. Marissa would always make his heart race whenever he saw her.

'Is she your girlfriend?' asked Jake. Ryan didn't take his eyes off the photo.

'She was.' He said.

'Oh… sorry… didn't work out huh?' asked Jake. Ryan looked at him with only a tinge of pain in his eyes.

'She died. About three years ago. Car crash' he said. Jake caught his breath.

'Umm… sorry… uh' he mumbled. Ryan sat down on the bed.

'It's fine, I like talking about her sometimes.' Jake sat down beside him on the bed.

'She's beautiful' he said.

'Yeah she was, but she was so troubled. She seemed to live her life on self-destruct mode a lot of the time.' Said Ryan. 'Sometimes I like to think that she finally found peace.' Jake wasn't sure what to say, he couldn't believe Ryan had gone through this, he thought he was alone.

'Sorry Jake I must be really bumming you out' said Ryan. In response Jake got up walked across the room to his backpack and pulled out the picture he had packed from back home. Ryan looked puzzled as he handed him it. It was Jake sitting in a park outside the Harvard campus. Jumping on top of him was a girl with long brown curly hair and a huge smile on her face as she ruffled Jake's hair.

'Amy' said Jake. 'I was a freshman and she was a junior, I couldn't believe she had any interest in me, but we connected on a level I didn't even know was possible. She was my everything.' Ryan looked over to Jake who was struggling to get the words out.

'She… she was a pre-med as well and I walked out of my room on the first day and there she was. She turned and gave me this smile. You know the kind that makes you feel like the only person in the room?' Ryan gave a smile.

'Yeah I have some idea' he said.

**Harvard 2006**

'Dude, the Cavs are clearly better than the Celtics and I got evidence to back it up.' Jake laughed at his new roommate Carl who was from Cleveland and wanted Jake to be put in his place with his basketball knowledge.

'Oh yeah and I'm sure that evidence isn't biased at all on the fact the Cavs happen to be your home team?' said Jake rolling his eyes.

'Not one bit my friend.' Said Carl. 'Now I'm heading down to check out the rest of campus. You coming?' Jake nodded.

'Yeah I'll be there in a minute. I'll meet you at the entrance.' He said. Carl walked out and Jake finished putting his stuff into his wardrobe. He then grabbed his room keys and headed out the door. He looked up the corridor and a girl was standing there talking to someone who was inside their room she turned and looked at Jake.

_Wow, so this is college life huh? I can definitely get used to this._ The girl smiled and walked over to Jake.

'Just moving in huh?' she asked. Jake, surprised that this unbelievable hot girl was talking to him, smiled.

'Yeah. Just trying to get my bearings around here.' He said.

'Well how about a tour? I can show you everything you'll need to survive your first week here.' She said.

'Um that sounds great!' he held out his hand. 'I'm Jake' the girl beamed at him.

'Amy'

**Berkeley 2009**

'We were inseparable throughout that year.' Said Jake and he laughed. 'Our friends got annoyed because all we talked about was each other.' Ryan chuckled.

'Sounds like Seth, with Summer.' He said.

'Yeah… at the end of the year I found out I was going to finish my degree at the same time as Amy, we went to Harvard med school together. Everything was planned out… it was… perfect.' Said Jake. 'But there was something Amy had never told me.' He paused and a tear fell from him to the floor. 'She was dying, Acute Myeloid Lymphoma… cancer. She never told me until that year… she kept it a secret to protect me. And then in April…'

'Guys!' called Seth from downstairs. 'Where are you?' Jake wiped his eyes and stood up. 'We should head back.' He said. Ryan stood up.

'Wait Jake…' he started but Jake had already gone.

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**Hope you like it. I'm currently half done on the next chapter so I should have it up by the end of the week. R&R!**


	5. Secrets

**Hey everyone. I'm glad that people seem to be enjoying this story. It's only just beginning:P This is a short update, I just wanted to get something on here. A couple of A/Ns - Frank Atwood never got with Julie (I hate the 'Frank is a nice person' character) she's with Bullit and Blake is their son. Also I've called the son Blake cause some other stories have used the same name and now it's stuck in my head and nothing else sounded right :P Anyway enjoy!**

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'_This is unacceptable Daniel. Did you think you could just pack up and run to the other side of the country and all of this would disappear?_' the cruel voice rasped in Daniel's ear over a slightly bad cell phone connection. Daniel looked around to check he was alone in the kitchen.

'Pete please, I've come here for my son, I'm not running away.' He whispered.

'_Mr Gordon is sympathetic to you and your family's circumstances, but he doesn't take well to liars and cheats_.' Pete responded with a harsh tone.

'We'll be back in three weeks and then we can get it sorted.' Said Daniel nervously

'_No Daniel! You'll get it sorted by the end of the week or Mr Gordon's patience will run out.'_ Pete paused. '_I think you know what that means.'_ Daniel sighed.

'Ok the end of the week, right I gotta go.' He said.

'_Don't mess this up_' Pete said frankly and then the click of the disconnected line signalled the abrupt end of the conversation. Daniel mentally kicked himself. How could he have been so stupid as to get mixed up in all of this? It started off as one accelerated job promotion and now it's just got out of hand. He watched as Kirsten and Elle sat gossiping on the living room couch and occasionally bursting into a fit of giggles. He smiled, but it was short lived as the face of Mr Gordon crept into his head and a shiver ran down his spine. He thought about his plan and wondered when a good time to bring it up with Elle would be? After Christmas probably, once he was sure it was what would be best for him and his wife. And Jake… this is the last thing he needs at the moment. The three boys and Summer had headed out the door about an hour ago on a tour of the neighbourhood. Daniel was pleased that Jake was fitting in well with his cousins, which strengthened his plan even more. Before Daniel's train of thought could continue Sandy entered the room looking exhausted.

'Phew, getting Sophie to take a nap is enough to make you want to take a nap yourself!' he said. Daniel laughed.

'Well you've signed up for terrible toddler again. Once was enough for me.' He said.

'Ah, it's all worth it in the end. Seeing them grow up, there's nothing quite like it' said Sandy.

'Sophie will be in college before you know it' said Daniel with a laugh. Sandy nodded.

'Hey speaking of kids and college, Jake's a bit a mini-Einstein huh?' he said with a laugh. Daniel nodded.

'He sure is but you'd never hear him admit it. Jake's as modest as they come' he said.

'It's interesting you know, how he and Ryan have gone through almost exactly the same thing. Ryan didn't handle quite the same as Jake though. Unless Jake's been doing some cage fighting you don't know about?' said Sandy. Daniel smiled and then frowned.

'Sometimes I wish he would do something like that. At least then I'd know what he was thinking, he just shuts everyone out with a cold personality whenever the subject arises.' He said.

'Maybe he'll open up to Seth or Ryan or even you, from a personal point of view you just have to give him time. It's frustrating I know, but just wait and see.' Said Sandy, patting Daniel on the back before walking through to the living room.

'Sorry to interrupt ladies but it's Christmas Eve and Julie and Bullit will be arriving soon.' He said to Kirsten and Elle. Kirsten stood up.

'You're right, Julie's bringing some 'special' desert, which I'm not sure whether to be worried about.' Said Kirsten. 'Where are the boys?'

'Fear not mother, your knights in shining armour have returned.' Said Seth from the entranceway. Everyone turned to see Ryan, Seth, Jake and Summer just coming in the front door.

'Shut up Cohen' said Summer as she walked up beside Seth. Seth smiled and hugged Summer as she tried to shake him off.

'You're right Summer, I'm _your _knight in shining armour.' He said. Kirsten laughed.

'Ok children, let's get ready for Julie and Bullit arriving.' She said. Summer sighed.

'Oh no it's going to be one of those holidays isn't it? With the never ending repetition of the word-'

'BANG!' came the booming Texan voice. Summer squinted at the sound, Ryan and Seth sighed, Jake jumped and turned around, while everyone just stared in disbelief. Kirsten struggled to find words.

'Bullit… er… what…you're…3 hours early!' she said.

'I know sweet-cheeks but I thought we could surprise you! Worked didn't it? So this must be the doctor!' he said turning to Jake. 'The names' Bullit, Gordon Bullit' Bullit stuck a hand out to a still bewildered Jake.

'Nice to meet you… erm… Bullit' said Jake. Bullit walked past him and towards Ryan and Seth.

'Ah lookin' sharp kids' he said.

The greetings continued between Bullit and everyone before Kirsten asked the obvious question.

'Where's Julie?'

'Oh she's just getting Blake out of the car. Now what's cooking?'

………………………

The dining room was even more crowded that evening, with Kirsten having to bring in her extra table to accommodate the addition of Julie, Bullit, Kaitlyn and Blake to the table.

'I'm really sorry you guys will have to stay in a hotel, our house is full to capacity.' Said Kirsten.

'Kiki, don't worry! We're fine at the hotel, it has a beautiful suite.' Said Julie with a smile. 'And Kaitlyn has her own room so she's happy.' Ryan looked over to Kaitlyn.

'Hey Kaitlyn are you excited about joining the ranks at Berkeley?' he asked. Kaitlyn looked at him.

'I wouldn't say I was excited, but I guess it'll be cool.' She said. A cell phone began ringing. Daniel looked around, embarrassed. Elle frowned at him.

'Dan, who's calling you at this time? Work?' she asked. Daniel looked at the ID and quickly pressed the button to the reject the call.

'It's no-one.' He said. Conversation continued around the table until once again the cell phone rang.

'You know what, I'm just going to turn this off.' Said Daniel, sheepishly, as he did so. Everyone returned to eating but Elle stole some worried glances across the table at her husband. Something was up, and she was going to find out what.

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**R&R!**


	6. Young love

**Looong time since an update. I'm hoping the next couple of chapters will be a decent back-story of Jake and Amy. This chapter may be a little rushed but I just wanted to get something up here quickly. I hope people are still interested in this story!**

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**Harva****rd – December 2006**

'You know, Christmas is my favorite time of year.'

'Yeah Amy, I think you've said that about 10 times in the past hour' said Jake with a grin.

'Well it is! All the lights, the food, the gifts…' Amy stood up and walked up behind Jake who was slouched over a textbook at his desk. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly in his ear.

'What would you like for Christmas Jake?' She said it so seductively it sent a shiver down Jake's spine and made him flush with a passion that Amy could always induce in him with the simplest of actions. He spun round to face her and she sat on his knee her arms still draped round her neck. Jake leant in to kiss her and her long brown curls fell over his face. The kiss was simple, yet powerful. They separated and Jake looked up into Amy's deep brown eyes.

'I can think of one or two things' he said and slid his hand up the back of her shirt. Amy giggled and stood up.

'Oh well, you better be a good boy between now and Christmas' and with that she grabbed Jake's coat from the door and threw it in his face. 'Come on then, we're meeting Carl and Emily in 10 minutes.' Jake sighed and smirked at the brunette.

'Fiiine, let's go' He put on his jacket and made his way over the room. As Amy turned to walk to the door, he reached out to hold her face and kissed her fully and deeply. 'I love you, you know that right?' Amy smiled.

'I love you to.'

**Harvard – February 2007**

Amy sat in her room wondering what to do. She stared at the message on her phone '_Please, meet me in my room. Jxx.' _She sighed and fell back on her bed. It was such a stupid argument and she was in no mood to fight. Plus she was really tired from yesterday's treatment.

That's what started the whole argument. She had to lie, as usual, about where she was going. But this time she had been caught out… well almost. Whenever she had to go for treatment, she told Jake she was going shopping or some other horrible lie that made her feel sick to her stomach. This time she said she was going shopping with Emily, but hadn't counted on Jake meeting Emily at lunchtime.

To cut a long story short Jake ended up accusing her of cheating which escalated into a huge row and now…

Now what? Amy thought to herself. She thought about telling the truth but couldn't bring herself to see the pain in those eyes that she loved with all her soul.

Instead she was now walking along Jake's corridor wondering if this would be the end of their relationship. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. She sighed and considered just leaving until she heard 'come in' from inside. She opened the door to be met with Jake's room. It was filled with candles and rose petals were scattered all over the floor. At first Amy thought she had got the wrong room somehow until she saw Jake standing there, a single red rose in his hand.

'Hey' he said.

'H-hey' replied Amy still a little taken aback.

'I'm glad you came.'

'Jake I-'

'No, don't apologize. It's my fault, I should never have accused you of those things. I know you well enough to know you'd never do that' Amy smiled. She wanted to tell him everything right there and then. But couldn't.

'We were both at fault.' _I wanna throw up._ Jake laughed

'Agree to disagree. We're gonna go far you and I.'

'So what's all this for. Valentine's Day isn't for another week,' said Amy with a knowing smirk trying to forget the guilty feeling hanging over her.

'Well I guess you can just call me a hopeless romantic' said Jake taking a couple of steps towards her. Amy walked up to Jake and kissed him.

'Well I'll give you the hopeless part' Jake grinned and the two sat on the bed and let their love carry them into the night.

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**R&R!!**


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